'Reeling in' Sales Through Customer Knowledge

by Ralph Palmer, CKD On Nov 1, 2004

This past summer, I took the initiative to do something with my
fishing boat other than just look at it. I actually took the cover
off, cleaned it up, took it to a small fishing lake and put it in
the water. I even took along fishing rods, a tackle box and bait. I
also took my 12-year-old grandson, Cody, and expected to have a
great time. I could almost smell the fish frying. Four hours later,
after throwing bait into the lake in an attempt to catch our meal,
we left empty handed.

While we actually did catch some fish during our expedition, the
truth is, we threw them back. Cody caught one fish that was
approximately 3-1/2 inches long, while the one I caught was even
smaller.

So, what went wrong? We looked like fishermen, we had the
equipment we thought we needed and we used the bait that was
suggested by others.

Fishing for BusinessAs funny as it might
seem, as time passed on the lake without any real action, my mind
started to wander and process the similarities between fishing and
selling.

We certainly looked like all of the other fishermen situated
around us, with our boat and gear just like many kitchen and bath
dealers, their places of business and their showrooms look like so
many of their competitors. Their investment is made in the brick
and mortar and showroom, just like my investment in the boat and
gear.

When I looked a little closer at those who were catching fish,
however, I realized that those fishermen had a fish finder. Could
it be they were able to find fish wherever they were on that given
day and I was just fishing my heart out where there weren't any
fish?
In your business, do you know where your fish are? Do you know what
kind they are? Do you know what bait is attractive to them?

You need to figure out if you are just waiting for any customer
to come along because, if that's your strategy, you might end up
waiting a long time for business.

If you aren't interested in waiting around for customers, it's
important to identify clearly the type of customer you are trying
to attract. Once this is done, you can channel your promotion and
advertising dollars toward a well-defined target audience.

As I'm sure that you don't have unlimited resources to promote
your business, it's critical that your target audience be your
focus. Only when you have your target customers defined will you be
able to choose the right bait to attract them to your
offering.

Netting the CatchIt's important to remember
to keep reality in mind when you are defining what your prospects
look like, because you must have the products, knowledge and
services to fit their needs. If you don't create this match, the
prospect will consume your time, absorb your knowledge and then
run. The prospect will instead seek someone who is prepared to
be
a match.

The message, therefore, is quite clear. Before you can expect to
land a customer, you must understand what type of customer you are
looking for and be certain that, once you attract the prospect, you
are capable of making the catch. In business terms, not fishing
terms, this would be marketing.

For the purpose of my example, let's assume your marketing is in
place and it is now time to cast your bait. Not knowing the nature
of your business, I know there are several types of bait the
consumer can find attractive. It's important that you know what
your defined customer type will find attractive.

I have found that, if you use the bait of big discounts and low
prices, you will attract the price shopper. Standard advertisements
in local newspapers are a good beginning here.

At the other extreme, those dealers who offer premium products
and impeccable service to attract the high-end customer and expect
compensation in relation to what they deliver will require a very
special lure. This premium dealer must use an entirely different
marketing approach to find prospects, such as a glossy
advertisement in a symphony or theater program. Why? Because that's
where their type of customers gather.

So, you need to use your customer finder as best you can, but
you must make sure you know who you are looking for.
Enough for the bait. Now for the hook. The hook is the selling
skills and all of the tools that you have available to make sure
your prospect becomes your customer. Your displays, samples, CAD
drawings, industry knowledge, creative skills and professional
presentations are just some of these tools.

In addition a very important sales skill is that of questioning
and finding out exactly what the customer knows, wants and needs,
and then matching your products and services to satisfy the client
and meet or exceed expectations.

When all of this is in price, you are ready to set the hook.
There are lots of ways the prospect will let you know it's time to
set the hook or, in our business terms, the right time to invite
him or her to become your customer and close the sale.

While in fishing you have the bobber, which dips under the water
when it's time for action, in our business we have the development
of trust through open and accurate communication. This allows us to
prove the worth of our products and services. A sale can't be made
until value has been established. Trying to close the sale before
this takes place limits your probability of creating a
customer.

When you have developed trust in a skillful fashion, it is time
to invite the prospect to make a positive decision. To help the
situation along, you need to keep identifying the benefits to be
gained by using your products and services, and help the prospect
understand those benefits. At the same time, make the person aware
of the losses that can be avoided by doing business with you. When
doing this, however, be careful not to slam your competition,
because that tactic will often turn off the legitimate
prospect.

Make sure that your prospect understands that, should he or she
choose not do business with you, then the client will be missing
out on the most important element and asset to the overall project
you.

While I can't give you a guarantee that you will catch every
prospect, by following these guidelines, you will raise the
probability of landing all of the customers you need to have a
successful career as a kitchen and bath designer/
salesperson.
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